Mechanism for separating and feeding sheets of paper or similar material.



No. 683,858. E Patented Oct. I. l90l.

.W. R. LANDFEAR 8|. J. A. KEYES. MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDINGSHEETS OF PAPER 08 SIMILAR MATERIAL. (Application filed Mar. 19, 1901.)(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shoat I.

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No. 683,858. Patented (lot. I; l90l. W. R. LANDFEAR &. J. A. KEYES.MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER 08 SIMILAR MATE L.(Application filed Mar. 19, 1.) (No Model.) 2 Shasta-Sheet 2.

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UNiTED STATES v PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM R. LANDFEAR, 70F BROOKLYN, AND JAMES A. KEYES, on NEW YORK, N.Y., ASSIGNORS TO RICHARD H. WRIGHT, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING AND FEEDING SHEETS OF PAPER 0R SIMILARMATERIAL.

SI EGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,858, dated October1, 1901.

A Application filed March 19, 1901. Serial No. 51,819. (No model) ToctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM R. LAND- FEAR and JAMEs A. KEYEs, citizensof the United States, residing in the city of New York, in the State ofNew York, (the postoftice address of the former being No. 258 Madisonstreet, Brooklyn, and that of the latter being No. 550 East One Hundredand Sixty-third street, New York city, New York,) have invented new anduseful Improvements in Mechanism for Separating and Feeding Sheets ofPaper or Similar Material, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to mechanism or devices forseparating andfeeding individual sheets of paper or similar material from a pile ofsuperimposed sheets for delivery to printing, folding, wrapping, orlabeling machines or for other uses to which such sheets are adapted.

Many devices have been designed and used to hold in place the sheetswhich are contiguous to one of the outer sheets of a pile, while suchouter sheet (either at the top or bottom of the pile) is started andseparated from the next sheet and is fed forward. One of the deviceswhich has been used for this purpose is a needle or pointed bladearranged at the rear of the pile and operated to pierce the outer andone or more of the contiguoussheets, and as the outer sheet is fedforward or away from the rear end of the pile by a starting and feedingdevice arranged to opcrate directly upon this sheet the pointed devicecuts or tears out a short slit or opening at the end edge of the sheet,while it holds the next sheets, which are subjected to less feedingforce, in their normal positions in the pile. Heretofore this pointeddevice has been rigidly fixed to some stationary part of themechanism,-as the wall of the box which contains the pile of sheets, soas to pierce the uppermost sheets of the pile, and the piercing of thepoint into the sheets has been et' fected by the upward pressure of thepile against it, the pile being supported upon a movable platform, whichis forced upward by an expansion-spring or other suitable automaticlifting device to exert a continuous and constant pressure against thepiercingpoint. A defect in the practical operation of this device isthat the piercing-pointcatches and holds fine fibers of the paper notonly on its extreme end, but especially where it cuts or tears outtheslit at the end of the upper sheet, and inasmuch as the continuouspressure of the pile against the point prevents any clearance from theaccumulation of fibers the point soon becomes so clogged and shield edthat it will not pierce the desired number of sheets, and if theoperation is continued for any considerable period the second andsometimes even the top sheet will not be pierced and the device becomesunreliable to hold the under sheets in place while the outer or topsheet is started and fed.

It is the object of this invention to remedy the defect referred to byproviding means by which the piercing-point is intermittently relievedfrom the continuous and constant pressure against the sheets and iscleared from any attached fibers, so that under ordinary conditions itwill pierce a uniform number of sheets of a given thickness; and to thisend the invention consists, generally stated, in means or devices bywhich a positive movement of sufficient range and force is given to thepoint to cause it to pierce the desired number of sheets. Preferablythis movement is a sudden thrust and is intermittent or repeated forevery sheet from the pile or often enough to keep the point free andclear of fibers; also in means by which the sheets, especiall y theirrear ends, are permitted to move toward the piercing-point during theintervals between its thrusts and by which they are subjected to avibratory or shaking-movement caused by the action of the intermittentthrusts'of the piercing-point on one side of the pile and thespring-controlledplat-form on the opposite side thereof. x

A form of mechanism embodying the present invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side or frontelevation of the 5 mechanism, the front part of the sheet-box beingremoved to show the movable platform and other parts. Fig. 2 is a planview of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the rear part of themechanism, showing the piercingpoint and its operative devices indifferent positions from those seen in Fig. 1. Figs. 4

and 5 are side elevations of a modified construction, the two figuresshowing certain parts in dilferent positions.

In the drawings, A represents a box or receptacle fixed to any suitableframe or support, in which a pile of sheets Bis placed and from whichthe sheets are separated and fed one by one. The arrangement of themechanism shown in the drawings is for feeding the sheets from the topof the pile by means of starting and feeding rollers O and 0', locatedabove the pile and fixed to their respective shafts c c, which arejournaled in the bearings d d to the frame or other fixed part of themechanism and arranged to rotate in confact with the top sheet thereof,and a pair of drawing-rollers D D, located in the front of the forwardend of the box A. The pile of sheets is supported by a platform E,arranged to move up and down within the box A, and constantly forcedupward by an expansionspring F to bring the top sheet of the pile intofeeding contact with the rollers G and C.

H represents a needle or other pointed device (hereinafter called thepiercing-point adapted to pierce or puncture several sheets of thepile.This device is fixed, preferably adjnstably, by screws 72 in a rock-armI, which is pivotally secured to a stud J, fixed to a bracket J,projecting from the rear wall of the box A, or fastened to some otherpart of the mechanism, so that the piercing-point is free to be movedtoward and away from the top of the pile. A positive movement toward thepile is given to the piercing-point by any suitable means, convenientlyby its connection with a rotating cam K through the free end of arm I,with which the cam contacts to rock the arm downward and force thepiercing-point into theupper sheets of the pile. The cam is preferablyattached to and rotated with shaft 0 of roller 0 for reasons hereinafterset forth and is so shaped as to give the piercing-point a positive andintermittent thrusting movement into the sheets. The starting andfeeding rollers O and C have sections L on their cylindrical surfaces,preferably about one-half thereof, roughened or covered with sandpaper,rubber, or other suitable material to give them the requisitefrictional contact with the outer sheet to start and feed it forward,while the rest of their surfaces are left smooth. The feeding-surfacesLare preferably so arranged relatively to the cam K, which gives thedownward thrusts to the piercing-point, that the point will be in itslowest position when the smooth surfaces of the rollers are in contactwith the sheets, for the reason that the extreme downward or homethrusts of the point force the platform E against the upward stress ofthe spring F and relieve the pressure of the top sheet against thesmooth surfaces of the rollers, thereby lessening the liability ofstarting the next sheet of the pile before the top one has been fedtherefrom and enabling the successive top sheets to be drawn forwardeasily by the rollers D D or other devices at a greater speed than thesurface speed of the starting-rollers (.1 and O. The downward movementof the platform under the successive thrusts of the piercing-point IIare responded to by the resiliency of the contracted spring F, and aseries of short quick vibrations is given to the pile which are resistedfrom above by the piercing-point.

It is desirable in order that the successive sheets may be seized by therollers D D or other drawing devices at regularintervals to arrange aremovable stop at the rear of such drawing devices against which theends of the sheets impinge and are stopped as they are fed forward bythe rollers O and O, which will cause the sheets to be buckled upbetween the roller 0 and such stop, as shown in dotted line in Fig. 1,and when the stop is removed from the path of the sheets their upwardends will spring into the bite of the rollers D D. A convenientconstruction and arrangement of such stop and devices for operatingitare shown in Fig.1 of thedrawings, in which the stop consists of aseries of pins M, fixed to a shaft N, journaled in brackets fixed to thefront of the box A and held in its normal position, so that the pinswill be out of the path of the sheets, by spring 0, having one of itsends secured to the pin P on the shaft and its other end to some fixedpoint, as hook Q, and is rocked backward to bring the pins into the pathof the sheets by a connecting-arm R, whose forward end is pivoted to thecrank-arm S, fast to the rock shaft N, and its rear end is yoked overthe shaft 0 of roller 0, the arm B being reciprocated to rock the shaftN by the engagement of a rotating cam T, fixed to shaft 0, with apin-supported roller II on the arm R. The lower drawing-roller and theforward end of bridge 6 are preferably provided with grooves toreceivethe pins M when they are in and out of their stopping positions.

The rollers G and C may be driven byany means which will cause them torotate at the same peripheral speed, conveniently by connecting them bya chain \V, passing over sprocket wheels fixed to their respectiveshafts, and by positively rotating the roller 0 by means of a chain V,passing over a sprocket-wheel on its shaft and over any otherproperly-driven Wheel. (Not shown in the drawings.)

It is observed thatin the construction thus far described and shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings no means are provided for positivelyraising the piercing-point, except the upward pressure and rise of thesheets of the pile under the stress of spring F against it, which willtake place as soon as the thrusting-cam K has passed over the end of armI, thus leaving the arm and the piercing-point free to rise under theaction of any sufficient lifting force. It is also observed that whenthe piercing-point makes its thrusts into the sheets it moves in the arcof a circle and.

tends to make the punctures or holes in the upper sheets larger than thepiercing-point, and it is further observed that as the upward movementof the sheets provide the only means for raising the piercing-point itwill not be lifted out of contact with the upper sheets and is always inposition to hold the next lower sheets in place while the upper.

sheet is startedand cut or torn from it.

A careful examination and study of the above-described device when incontinuous operation upon a full-sized machine for feedin g labels andstamps at the rate of over sixty per minute has failed to enable us tostate with certainty whether the desired clearance of the piercing-pointfrom fibers is due to the sharp intermittent thrusts of the point intothe paper, or to the Vibration which the thrusts and the opposingplatform spring give to the pile, or to the circular movement of thepiercing-point, or whether the desired result is produced by acombination of these operative conditions. The almost perfect working ofthis device after several others have been tried and discarded asunsatisfactory shows that the desired clearance is effected and that thepoint continues to pierce the same number of sheets of equal thicknessat each thrust and that the sheets are separated and removed from thepile one by one with regularity and precision.

The operation of the above-described mechanism is as follows: The pileof sheets supported upon the spring-controlled platform is forced upagainst the starting and feeding rollers and the piercing point, and asthe mechanism is started up the rotating cam K by its contact with thecarrying-arm I thrusts the piercing-point downward into the sheets witha positive movement and to a definite distance, determined by the shapeof the cam and the arrangement of the connecting parts to piercethedesired number of upper sheets of the pile near their rear ends. Assoon as roughened feeding-surfaces of the rotating rollers O and 0 comein contact with the top sheet it is started from its place and fedforward toward the drawing-rollers, its rear end being cut or torn awayfrom the piercing-pointby its forward movement, while the contiguoussheets are held in place by their contact with the said point. As beforestated, it is preferred that the arrangement of the cam K and thesurfaces of the feeding-rollers should be so related to each other thatthe piercing-point will be in its lowest position or home thrust in thesheets when the smooth surfaces are rotating over the sheets, inasmuchas the home thrusts of the point force the sheets away from thosesurfaces and prevent the starting of the second sheet before the firstsheet has been fed forward sufficiently; also that before the roughenedfeedjug-surfaces of the rollers'come in contact with the top sheet thepiercing-point has been so relieved from the action of the cam that itis free to rise from its lowest position and permit the pile to beforced up by the expansion of the platform-sprin g and the upper sheetto be broughtinto feeding contact with the rollers. I

The modificationillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings differs inits construction and operation from the device hereinbefore describedand shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 only in the use of devices to positivelyraise the piercing-point relatively to the sheets and to limit theupward movement of the pile, and for this purpose a camgroove X,conveniently formed in the end of roller 0, engages with a pin Y, fixedin the free end of arm I, while a stop Z is secured in place at the rearend of the pile slightly above the plane of the bearingof the rollers OC on the upper sheet. The cam X is shaped to give the piercingpoint Hthe sharp downward thrusts into the sheets, as in the constructionhereinbefore' It is not intended to limit the present invention to theuse of starting and feeding rollers or to drawing-rollers or to thespecial devices for operating the piercing-point or to feeding thesheets from the top of a pile, as described and shown in the drawings,as it is evident that other constructions and forms of devices can beused for these purposes without materially changing the operation of thepiercing-point and the advantages resulting therefrom.

What is claimed as new is-- 1. In a sheet-separating mechanism, thecombination substantially as set forth, of a piercing-point located atthe rear of a pile of sheets and means to intermittently thrust the saidpoint into the outer and contiguous sheets of the pile, for the purposedescribed.

2. In a sheet-separating mechanism, the combination substantially as setforth, of a piercing-point located at the rear of a pile of sheets andmeans to thrust the point with a circular movement into the outer andcontiguous sheets, for the purpose described.

3. In a sheet-feeding mechanism, the combination, substantially as setforth, with devices for starting and feeding the outer sheet of a pile,of a piercing-point located at the rear of the pile and means tointermittently thrust the said point into the outer and contiguoussheets, for the purpose described.

4. In a sheet-feeding mechanism, the combination substantially as setforth, with devices for starting and feeding the outer sheet of a pile,of a piercing-point located at the rear of the pile, devices tointermittently thrust the said point into the outer and contiguoussheets and means operating upon the opposite side of the pile toyieldingly resist the thrust of the point and to force the pile againstthe same, for the purpose described.

5. In a sheet-feeding mechanism, the com- IIO bination substantially asset forth, with devices for starting and feeding the outer sheet of apile, of a piercing-point, as II, a pointcarrying arm, as I, pivoted atthe rear of the pile, and a rotating cam, as K, whereby thepiercing-point is intermittently thrust into the outer and contiguoussheets of the pile for the purpose described.

6. In a sheet-feeding mechanism, the combination substantially as setforth, of a starting and feeding roller, as 0, having a section of itscylindrical surface roughened and the rest smooth, a piercing-pointlocated in the rear of the roller and means to thrust the point homeinto the outer and contiguous sheets when the smooth surface of theroller is adjacent to the pile, for the purpose described.

7. In a sheet'feeding mechanism, the combination substantially as setforth, of a piercing-point located at the rear of a pile of sheets, astop, as Z, to limit the movement of the rear end of the pile toward thepiercing-point and means to thrust the piercing'point into the

